re: #120 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light))

There is not much I know about dogs, but the problem comes if you will not be the alpha for your dog, then the dog feels compelled to assume that role, but lots of dogs are not cut out to do that and it can lead to all kinds of problems for both dog and master.

and that means no furniture, do not let dog initiate contact and always eat first and lead the way out of the “den”.

dog is still happy as a clam to be fulfilling its role and not put under any psychological stress to fill a role it might not be ready to fill

Sorry, but this is nonsense. Not the part about establishing that you’re the alpha, but the specifics, like furniture and such. I spent a lot of time in our Golden’s adolescence establishing myself as alpha, and never had an issue with it later. And Rhyo was a couch and bed dog, who initiated contact, because he was a Golden Retriever and that’s what they do. Dogs get fed at dog feeding time. People eat when people eat.

Learn the 3 voices and use them properly; keep commands short and consistent; never let them win tug-of-war, never let a command go unheeded - which includes, early on, never giving a command you can’t enforce; decide what behavior is unacceptable and never accept it.